Friday, December 15, 2006

History of the Iron Kingdoms

More than a thousand years ago, Western Immoren, the land that is now called the Iron Kingdoms, was a mire of warring human city-states. Strong leaders came and went, but in the chaotic realm then known as the Thousand Cities, no one could carve out a kingdom for long. Then came the Orgoth, an evil imperial race from beyond the sea that would change the face of Western Immoren forever, and pave the way for the Iron Kingdoms to arise.

The Orgoth sailed in with their black ships to conquer Western Immoren. They spent 200 bloody years in the endeavor, then ruled for 400 more uncontested, with only a handful of free human lands left to Immoren's natives. Caspia, City of Walls, never fell, and the northern reaches of Khador remained independent, for none but the native Khardic people could thrive there. The lands of Rhul and Ios stood untouched, for the trying of them claimed too many of the Orgoth's resources, while Cryx's twisted shores were warded by Toruk and his lich lords.

The Orgoth rule was brutal and cruel. They practiced rites of blood sacrifice to their enigmatic gods, and worked magic so dark that many claim it was infernal in origin. The war witches of the Orgoth were devastating weapons in their own right. Indeed, they were the first human workers of arcane magic, for the Men of Western Immoren at this time had access only to the divine power granted by their gods.

But humanity would rebel, though it was long and harsh in the forging. Eventually humans gained arcane power in their own right, and the dwarves taught them some part of the magic that race could work with technology. The rebels used this knowledge to forge titanic war machines: the semi-sentient Colossals, powered with coal and towering as high as buildings. With these weapons, humanity went forth to engage the Orgoth once more.

And though this conflict was savage and long, the struggle of another 200 years, the natives of Immoren finally triumphed. As they fled the continent, the Orgoth engaged in one final barbaric act: the Scourging. They poisoned wells and salted fields, and destroyed every creation of theirs they could lay hands on, determined that nothing of theirs would remain past their departure.

In the ashes left by the Orgoth, the Iron Kingdoms were forged. Though petty warlords sought to take power in the wake of the Orgoth retreat, the leaders of the rebellion refused to waste this chance at peace. They met in Corvis, still smoldering from the Scourge, and spent weeks hammering out a treaty that would give rise to the Iron Kingdoms as we know them today.

The consequences of the long occupation still unfold. Thanks to the Scourge, little is known of the Orgoth today, though some few traces remain to intrigue and plague the region's modern inhabitants. The Gift of sorcery was granted by the dark goddess Thamar who, legend holds it, forged a pact to bring sorcery to people in order to help them oppose the Orgoth. If this is true, then a dire price may yet be owing. What and to whom are questions that remain unanswered.

Since the rise of the Iron Kingdoms, use of arcane magic has grown. For a long time, sorcery was persecuted, as people believed it to originate from dark sources. Today, a more enlightened attitude is fostered, at least in civilized areas, though sorcery is still viewed with suspicion and some fear. Indeed, arcane magic can be dangerous. Use of necromancy or truck with Infernals taints the soul and risks accusations of witchcraft. Both the faiths of Morrow and Menoth support organizations that hunt down such evil magic-users.

Meanwhile, the technology garnered from the dwarves benefits human society. Trains connect the widespread cities, firearms defend their owners, and steam engines support trade by sea. Spellcasters have learned more about melding technology and magic, creating mechanika--technology enhanced by spellcraft. Thanks to this, magical items become easier to create, and the great coal-powered robots known as steamjacks aid in both industry and warfare.

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